1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a microwave connector for connecting microwave energy between two substrates in orthogonal or near-orthogonal planes that are not electrically connected.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Such a connector finds use for example in phased array radar systems where a large number of antenna modules must be driven from a single local oscillator with equal or near equal amplitude and phase. This is achieved by successive dividers. If the divider network is manufactured from stripline (triplate) or microstrip, it is necessary to use surface launch, right angle, connectors from the stripline to each of the modules. This is expensive, time consuming, and at times difficult to implement.
Microstrip circuits are a known type of device. They comprise a flat plate-like insulating substrate carrying conducting tracks on one surface with a ground electrode covering the opposite face. The conducting track can be shaped into many standard forms to give couplers, circulators, dividers, etc. Slotline circuits are a known type of device. They comprise a plate-like insulating substrate covered on one surface with a sheet electrode that is selectively removed to provide a narrow slot of exposed substrate; it is similar to but the inverse of microstrip. A variation on microstrip is triplate which is effectively two microstrip circuits glued face to face. Triplate comprises two insulating substrates face to face with a conducting strip circuit between them. The reverse faces carry sheet ground electrodes. Known microwave connectors include simple surface launch connectors. These need to be firmly fixed onto the stripline substrate, requiring the use of screws or bolts, and so can be an expensive construction method in production. This structure is very rigid and allows no stress relief. Another known connector uses a customized surface launch connector as described in Microwaves and RF, August, 1989, pages 137-143, S. S. Horwitz and G. W. Bull. It employs a pin connection requiring a connecting pin and welding of a gold ribbon from the stripline track to the pin. The connector has a horseshoe shaped body that passes through a shaped aperture in the stripline track and is fixed by a single nut. Both of these connectors output the microwave signal in a coaxial line, requiring the use of another connector if the signal is to be launched into microstrip. They can also require a large amount of expensive metal work.